This invention pertains to fertilizer applicators, and more particularly to an applicator for specific application of liquid fertilizer directly adjacent the roots of the plants to be fertilized.
Fertilizer is an essential part of present day agriculture. The cultivation of modern, high yielding crops, and the continuing emphasis on high yield has increased the demand for nutrients to the point where manufactured plant nutrients have become nearly essential. Natural fertilizer such as livestock manure simply cannot be applied heavily enough for high yield compared to that achieved with commercial manufactured fertilizer.
However, manufactured fertilizers have become relatively expensive, and also have been criticized as contributing to water quality deterioration because of run off of nitrates and the like especially where the fertilizer is applied at rates above what the plants need or use. Therefore, it becomes very desirable to apply the fertilizer as economically as possible of both quantity and cost.
Liquid fertilizers, because of the ease of accurate measurement and delivery, are therefore attractive for application. Previously this type of fertilizer has been "knifed" into the ground by running the fertilizer through a shoe adapted to open a kerf in the soil and deposit the fertilizer in the kerf. Such devices operate successfully, but with highly concentrated fertilizers, this type of application may be wasteful by leaving fertilizer between plants in certain row crops such as corn.
My invention allows very selective placement of the fertilizer adjacent the roots of each plant in the row. An amount of liquid is metered to each plant from the interior of the delivery device. Means is also provided to salvage material not injected into the ground.